THE statements being made and the arguments for and against staying in the EU are getting more and more desperate as the days roll on. Most of the people who advocate taking a chance on Brexit appear so well-off that they won’t suffer anyway if things go badly wrong! Let’s avoid their star-gazing and look at three possible outcomes and the statistics.

1. We vote to leave and everything the Brexits promised us comes true. UK becomes free of bureaucracy (if you can ever believe that!), export orders boom (where from?), less immigrants (more likely to happen since there won’t be any jobs for them in our shattered economy than because we put barricades across the English Channel!). SCORING: 50% of us are in seventh heaven, the other 50% are grudgingly polite. Points awarded 75 out of 100.

2. We vote to leave and life becomes terrible. Trade plummets, immigration continues unabated, even more austerity, house prices fall but no-one has jobs so they can’t afford them anyway, political and social disorder. SCORING: No-one happy apart from a few masochists. Points awarded 0 out of 100.

3. We vote to stay in and life goes on as usual (well almost). Political acrimony causes a general election caused by Tory politicians continuing to heap insults on each other since no-one can tell what might have happened regarding scenario 1 or 2 apart from Rosie Lee at the fairground and she is unimpeachable. After complete chaos, FPTP declared unfit for service. Referendum to change to Proportional Representation. SCORING: Points awarded 50 out of 100.

‘Over to Betfair’. They conclude that the average public satisfaction/dissatisfaction in outcomes 1 and 2 totals 75/200 or 1:2.66, so they offer me odds of 5:2 against us voting to leave. Satisfaction/dissatisfaction for outcome 3 was 50:50 so they offer me evens bets of 1:1. against voting to stay. With only Confusitis in quantity from ex-public schoolboys and no crystal balls to guide us, do we back the favourite and opt for staying in the EU and improving what we have? Or, are we so addicted to gambling that we’d rather do that than resolve to improve our lot positively? Shouldn’t we have leaders at Westminster, not gamblers!

Mike Joslin

Garfield Avenue

Dorchester